Women With Tattoos Seen as "Easier" and Sexier

While blondes are often cited as being more fun, a new survey reveals that brunettes make the best lovers. (Photo : Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

Thinking about getting that cute tattoo your friend has been showing off after she came back from her long vacation? A new study reveals that you shouldn't- that is if you don't want unwanted male attention.

French researcher Nicolas Guéguen of France's Université de Bretagne-Sud wanted to study how men rated a woman's attractiveness, willingness to go out with them and willingness to have sex on the first date based on whether or not she had a tattoo.

Guéguen had 11 heterosexual college-aged women who were rated as the most attractive out of a pool of 58 female volunteers visit beaches in Brittany, France 20 times in June and July of 2009. Researchers asked the women to wear a temporary tattoo on their lower back 50 percent of the time they were at the beach and have clean skin the rest of the time.

Researchers found that when women were wearing the tattoos, men were more likely to approach and chat with them. What's more, men were also quicker to approach women when they were wearing tattoos.

For the second part of the experiment, researchers polled 440 young women with an average age of 22.3 who were on the beaches at the same time as the female participants.

The men were asked if they agree to answer three questions about a girl who was "somewhere on the beach" for a study about romantic relationships. If the men agreed to take part in the survey, the interviewer would point out a female participant in the study and ask the men to predict the likelihood the woman would agree to go on a date with them, and the likelihood she would have sex on the first date. Then interviewers asked the men to rate the woman's attractiveness.

The findings revealed that women with tattoos were judged as more likely to go on dates with men and more likely to have sex on the first date than women with no ink. Women with tattoos were also seen as more attractive than women without tattoos.

However, many critics say that the findings are incomplete because no reasons were given as to why the men felt that women with tattoos were easier, according to the Daily Mail. Critics also said that the survey only looked at one particular type and placement of the tattoo.

A study from 2007 found that women with tattoos were judged to be more promiscuous and less attractive than women with clean skin.